Paganism still exists evidencing ecstatic experiences, what many would call “signs and wonders” (mysticism), today as evidenced in NAR and other similar movements. There appears little to no difference between these ecstatic experiences and what pagans (and New Agers), have experienced for generations.

But was there something specific that directly affected the way society thinks that birthed the modern signs and wonders movement? The answer is a resounding yes,and people like Francis Schaeffer warned evangelicals about it decades ago. Unfortunately, while many were listening then, with successive generations comes the need to warn again. Unfortunately, this time, most are not listening. They are all too happy to dive headlong into this experiential mystical abyss, regardless of potential problems connected to it.

So what is this thing that caused the Church itself to drift away from absolute truth? It is nothing less than existentialism. The beginning of existentialism was introduced into society by Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard in the mid-1800’s.

While most would agree that existentialism is difficult to define, it “…includes the concept that the highest truth is subjective (having its source in the individual’s mind) rather than objective (something that actually exists outside the individual). Existentialism elevates individual experience and personal choice…”

Kierkegaard’s life and philosophy revolved around his experiences with Christianity. Christian ideas and biblical terminology reverberate in many of his writings. He wrote much about faith and certainly regarded himself as a Christian. Many of his ideas began as a legitimate reaction against the stale formalism of the Danish Lutheran state church. He was rightly offended at the barren ritualism of the church, properly outraged that people who had no love for God called themselves Christians just because they happened to be born in a ‘Christian’ nation.

Unfortunately, Kierkegaard went to an extreme in his correct rejection of dead formalism. The result of this was a quest for truth based on experience or subjectivity.

Kierkegaard knew how to make irrationalism sound profound. ‘God does not exist; He is eternal,’ he wrote. He believed Christianity was full of ‘existential paradoxes,’ which he regarded as actual contradictions, proof that truth is irrational.

Philosophy asks questions it cannot answer. The end of that thinking is often seen in the rejection of absolute truth, in exchange for relativism. Relativism leads to the acceptance of anything because what might be truth for one person is not necessarily truth for another and so on.

There is only one source of final authority for the person within the realm of relativism. It is human experience, which is a bit like circular reasoning. If a person sees something as authentic, as truth, then under the definition of existentialism, it is truth for that person. How can another criticize or even condemn the person if all truth is subjective or relative?

The natural result of existentialism is denying the infallibility of the Bible, replacing it with fallible human experience. As one might expect, existentialism became huge in secular philosophy with people like Nietzsche and others laying claim to its ability to determine (relative) truth for each person.

Eventually, existentialism invaded the visible church in what is termed Neo-Orthodoxy. It is a Trojan horse of the worst king because outwardly, it tends to mirror the truth of Scripture, though in reality, it is simply godless paganism in Christian-like window dressing.